Cops: NY robber fell 21 floors down garbage chute

Robin Gutheridge robbed a bank and was fleeing police when a maintenance worker heard him calling for help in the chute

Associated Press

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Authorities say a 26-year-old man is in critical condition after falling 21 floors in the garbage chute of an apartment building in upstate New York after robbing a bank.

Police in Syracuse say Robin Gutheridge robbed a Chase Bank branch Thursday and fled on foot. Detectives learned he was seen entering an apartment building a few blocks away.

While officers searched the building, a maintenance worker told them he could hear someone calling for help from a garbage chute in the basement. Police say Gutheridge was found trapped near a compactor, with some of the bank's money with him.

Officers say they believe he had climbed into the chute on the 21st floor and fell to the basement.

A phone listing for Gutheridge couldn't be found. It couldn't immediately be determined if he had a lawyer.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press

Copyright 2015 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.